1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a hammer for household, yard, office, and other light uses. The inventive multipurpose hammer has built-in accessories including a level, a measuring tape, and compartments to hold nails, picture hangers, tacks, brads, screws, and the like. The hammer and accessories can be used for hanging pictures and other wall hangings, as well as for repair jobs.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is frequently convenient, especially in the household or office setting, to have tools, such as hammers, that can serve more than one purpose and hold nails and other supplies which are needed for repairs or hanging pictures or wall hangings. Otherwise, the homeowner or office occupant must purchase several tools and a container, such as a toolbox, to house the tools when they are not in use and carry each of the separate tools to individual jobs.
The use of a single tool with accessories is particularly convenient when a homeowner or office occupant must perform the simple and common task of hanging pictures, certificates, and other wall hangings, or must make a minor repair to some home or office item. In such tasks, it is desirable to have a hammer to place the nail or hanger on the wall, a measuring tape to measure the height or separation of the hangings, and a level to make certain the hanging is level after it is hung on the wall. It is also desirable to have a place to store nails, hangers, and other small supplies for use in the hanging process and for use in the future. Such jobs are done relatively infrequently, and it is convenient to store the supplies where they will not be lost, but will always be available with and at the same location as the hammer and accessory tools. Incorporation of accessories in the hammer also keeps the accessories with the hammer where they are easy to transport and always available for a job.
Several attempts have been made to design a tool with accessories. One early example is U.S. Pat. No. 102,677 to Gregory which shows a handle containing a longitudinal bore for the storage of supplies or other small tools and a short ruler on the side of the hammer. In the hammer disclosed in the Gregory patent, it was necessary to screw the bottom of the handle off to gain access to the handle compartment and screw it back on to secure the items in the compartment. The ruler was, of necessity, short, because it was limited to the length of the handle.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,109,507 to Bostock and Des. 331,690 to Villarreal, various slots or sockets were bored in the length of the handle to hold specific tools, such as a screw driver, a drill bit, and a saw blade, and, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,228,720 to Jordan, a magnet was placed at the end of the handle to hold nails. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 303,208 to Chung and U.S. Pat. No. 3,763,906 to Crowder disclose nail holders in the head of the hammer. In each case, the storage was limited by the design to a relatively small number of supplies.
Short rulers or gages are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,419,567 to Johnson, 1,551,779 to Anderson, Des. 375,033 to Edwards, and 3,763,906 to Crowder, and Des. 303,208 to Chung; however, these rulers are necessarily short, being limited to the length of the handle or an extension of the handle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,521 to Clontz shows a long rolled measuring tape which pulls longitudinally out of the handle, but has no other accessories.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,332,046 to Foley et al., 4,581,782 to Riley, Des. 331,690 to Villarreal, and 3,763,906 to Crowder show levels near the bottom of the handle of hammers. The levels are read by resting the hammer in a certain position on a surface, for example on its side or resting on the end of the poll and the end of the handle.
The above references, except Crowder, are limited to one or two accessories in addition to the hammer itself. Crowder had three accessories but, due to its design, the storage accessory is significantly limited in capacity, and the ruler accessory are in significantly limited in the lengths it can measure.
Thus, there is a need for hammer that has a level, a storage compartment or compartments for supplies, and a ruler of a longer length. The level should be usable without positioning some other portion of the hammer, such as the poll, on a surface; the level should be easier to read, easy to position, and not subject to inaccuracy due to wear or damage to other parts of the hammer, such as the poll, a frequently and heavily used part of the hammer. The storage compartment should be large enough to hold a large number of supplies such as nails and should be easily accessible; it may also be divided so that different types of supplies, such as nails and picture hangers, could be kept in separate, easily accessible areas. The ruler should be long enough to measure distances over a few inches and, preferably, up to several feet. Finally, the hammer and accessories should not be significantly larger than a typical hammer, but still contain the accessories mentioned.